Frank Caprio dies at 88; ‘Caught in Providence’ judge won fans for showing kindness in courtroom

By Steve LeBlanc Associated Press PROVIDENCE R I Frank Caprio a retired municipal judge in Rhode Island who located online fame as a caring jurist and host of Caught in Providence has died He was His official social media accounts reported Wednesday that he passed away peacefully after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer Caprio billed his courtroom as a place where people and cases are met with kindness and compassion He was known for dismissing tickets or showing kindness even when he handed out justice Last week Caprio posted a short video on Facebook about how he had a setback was back in the hospital and was asking that people remember me in your prayers Caprio s show was filmed in his courtroom and featured his folksy humor and compassion Clips from the show have had more than billion views on social media During his time on the bench Caprio developed a persona at odds with a great number of TV judges more sympathetic and less confrontational and judgmental In his bite-sized segments on YouTube Caprio is often seen empathizing with those in his courtroom A multitude of of the infractions are also relatively minor from failing to use a turn signal to a citation for a loud party Caprio also used his fame to address issues like unequal access to the judicial system The phrase With liberty and justice for all represents the idea that justice should be accessible to everyone However it is not Caprio mentioned in one video Almost of low-income Americans are forced to battle civil issues like vitality care unjust evictions veterans benefits and yes even traffic violations alone Caprio s upbeat take on the job of a judge drew him millions of views His most of popular videos have been those where he calls children to the bench to help pass judgment on their parents One shows him listening sympathetically to a woman whose son was killed and then dismissing her tickets and fines of In another clip after dismissing a red-light violation for a bartender who was making per hour Caprio urged those watching the video not to duck out on their bills If anyone s watching I want them to know you better not eat and run because you re going to get caught and the poor people who are working hard all day for three bucks an hour are going to have to pay your bill he disclosed His fame reached as far as China where clips of his show have been uploaded to social media in contemporary years Several fans there posted about his death recalling and praising the humanity he manifested in his rulings Related Articles Brent Hinds former Mastodon singer-guitarist dies in motorcycle crash James Dobson dies at founder of Christian group Focus on the Family led fights against abortion LGBTQ rights Tristan Rogers dies at actor played fan favorite Robert Scorpio on General Hospital Terence Stamp British actor who portrayed General Zod in early Superman films dies at Retired -year-old Oakland police officer mourned at funeral His family described Caprio as a devoted husband father grandfather great grandfather and friend Beloved for his compassion humility and unwavering belief in the goodness of people Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond the family wrote online His warmth humor and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him State and local politicians mourned his passing and celebrated his life Judge Caprio not only served the general well but he connected with them in a meaningful way and people could not help but respond to his warmth and compassion Rhode Island Gov Dan McKee revealed in a announcement He was more than a jurist he was a symbol of empathy on the bench showing us what is attainable when justice is tempered with humanity Robert Leonard who co-owned a restaurant with Caprio commented he was going to be sorely missed and was all around wonderful There is nothing he wouldn t do for you if he could do it Leonard declared Caprio retired from Providence Municipal Court in after nearly four decades on the bench According to his biography Caprio came from humble beginnings the second of three boys growing up in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence Rhode Island I hope that people will take away that the institutions of administration can function very well by exercising kindness fairness and compassion in their deliberations We live in a very contentious society he revealed in I would hope that people will see that we can dispense justice without being oppressive LeBlanc an Associated Press journalist who retired in January was the primary writer of this obituary Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed